Brita (company)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brita GmbH

logo
legal form GmbH
founding 1966
Seat Taunusstein , Hesse
management Markus Hankammer
Number of employees ⌀ 826 (2018)
sales 292.1 million euros (2018)
Branch Drinking water filter
Website www.brita.de

The Brita GmbH is a German manufacturer of water filters with headquarters in Taunusstein - Neuhof in Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in Hesse . The shares in the GmbH are held entirely by Hanvest Holding owned by the Hankammer family.

Companies

The family company develops, produces and markets filters for drinking water for private and commercial use. Through partnerships with manufacturers of household appliances are filter cartridges installed in unauthorized devices. These are, for example, refrigerators , kettle filters or coffee machines . In 2010, the company also entered the business of wired water dispensers , which are used in offices, industry and educational institutions, for example.

The parent company , Hanvest Holding , is represented in 66 countries with subsidiaries or partner companies and employs 1827 people worldwide, 940 of them in Germany. In 2017, the group generated total sales of 494 million euros, 84% of which outside of Germany. Production takes place in Germany, Great Britain , China , Italy and Switzerland .

history

1966–1980: The beginning

Heinz Hankammer founded the company in 1966 with the idea of optimizing conventional tap water . Brita was named after the daughter (* 1965) Hankammer. With the “AquaDeMat”, the Brita company brought a product onto the market for the first time that desalinated water for use in car batteries and was initially sold at filling stations . Its production started in 1967 in the entrepreneur's garden and 100,000 units had been sold by 1970. Heinz Hankammer had the idea of ​​inventing the table water filter for the household in 1969 and thus laid the foundation for the company's expansion. The patent was applied for in 1970. The headquarters of the still young company changed in the first ten years. So he was in Taunusstein-Hahn in 1971 and in Taunusstein-Wehen in 1975 . The idea of ​​the so-called tea test developed by Heinz Hankammer in 1970 was important for the company's early success. Here two cups of tea are compared directly with each other. These differ in that one cup was boiled with filtered and one with unfiltered water. The cup with unfiltered water did not show any streaks on the tea and demonstrated that the water hardness was reduced by the filter.

In 1979 Brita offered the first interchangeable filter cartridges .

1981–1988: The company expands

After sales began in Spain and Great Britain in 1977, the following two decades for BRITA, the 1980s and 1990s, were characterized by the development of new, primarily European, national markets as well as the expansion of the product portfolio. In 1980, Brita began expanding the product portfolio for commercial use with water filters for large devices used in hotels , restaurants , catering and vending (hot drinks machines). These protect the devices from limescale deposits . These are, for example, fully automatic coffee machines in cafes, combi steamers and dishwashers in the restaurant kitchen or hot beverage machines in companies. They can be used to set the water quality individually - and thus also improve the taste of the water for beverage preparations such as coffee creations. In 1980, Brita founded the first foreign subsidiary in Great Britain, “Brita Water Filter Systems Ltd.”. In the following years, Brita founded further subsidiaries. In 1987 a subsidiary was founded in Switzerland and in 1993 the first Brita production site outside Germany was established here. At the beginning of the 1990s there was an expansion to Eastern Europe. a. Russia and Lithuania . The Polish subsidiary was founded in 1999 .

Replaceable cartridges have been recycled since 1992 .

1999: The next generation takes over

In 1999 the company was renamed from Brita Wasserfilter-Systeme GmbH to Brita GmbH and the second generation of the family took over the company. Since then, Markus Hankammer has been the managing director of Brita GmbH. Heinz Hankammer changed as chairman to the then newly founded supervisory board of "Brita GmbH". At the end of 2013, he handed over the chairmanship of the Supervisory Board to Moss Kadey. Heinz Hankammer died in September 2016.

Since 2000: Development into a global multi-product company

Since the 2000s, the company has developed into a global multi-product company through international growth, especially in Asia , and through opening up new business segments. In 2004, Brita began partnerships with manufacturers of water filter cookers, espresso and coffee machines, household water dispensers, refrigerators and water filters permanently integrated into the water supply in order to expand the range of applications for the filter cartridge.

Since 2010, the company has also built up the line-connected water dispenser segment, the products of which are sold under the Brita Vivreau brand. In 2010, Brita entered the market for tap-connected water dispensers with the acquisition of the Enviva brand. The acquisition of the majority and later of all shares in the leading specialist for wired water dispensers, Ionox Wasser-Technologie GmbH, added to the existing product portfolio. The expansion and internationalization of the segment has been driven forward since spring 2012. Brita acquired a stake in the water dispenser supplier Vivreau in Great Britain and its sister companies in the USA and Canada .

In addition to the filter cartridge for the table water filter, Brita has also introduced other product concepts and filter media. This also includes the MicroDisc, an activated carbon filter . In parallel to the development of the product segments, Brita has also opened up new markets and established additional subsidiaries, e. B. 2002 in Spain and 2004 in Italy. The first subsidiary in Asia was founded in Japan in 2006 . Others followed in 2013 with Taiwan and China.

Consumer products

Brita’s product portfolio may differ from country to country. Important reasons for this are that the quality of the drinking water in the various regions of the world is different and that consumers also use it differently. For example, Brita is increasingly offering products for filtering and preparing hot water in Asia. The products for end users include, among other things, table water filters, water filter bottles, water filter carafes, line-connected systems and filter cartridges especially for small and large electrical appliances from well-known manufacturers with whom we cooperate. What all products have in common, however, is that they have a filter medium such as a filter cartridge or other filter media.

Drinking water filter

opened, used MAXTRA filter cartridge

Brita offers different filter media for different products, for example filter cartridges. Their filter mixture consists of ion exchangers and activated carbon . Gravity is crucial for filtration : the water flows from top to bottom through the cartridge and the integrated filter mixture. The process of treating drinking water with this technology comprises four steps: pre-filtration, ion exchange, activated carbon filtration and particle filtration. In the first step, the water flows through a fine filter fabric. During the ion exchange, lime content and any lead or copper components are reduced. The activated carbon filtration reduces odor and taste impairing substances. This can be, for example, chlorine and chlorine compounds . In the last step, trap filtration, a fine-mesh filter removes mixture particles. The filter cartridges based on ion exchangers and activated carbon include the MAXTRA +, for example, its predecessor MAXTRA and the older Classic model. With normal use, the cartridges in these systems will last about 30 days. There are now cheaper replicas from other manufacturers for both filter systems.

In addition, the company also offers products whose main component is activated carbon. This applies to the Brita MicroDisc, for example. It is used in consumer products that are mainly used to improve the taste of water, such as the Brita water filter bottles and carafes.

The filters for commercial customers have a more complex structure than a filter cartridge for consumers, but they also contain activated carbon and ion exchangers as essential basic components.

Use in the household

By reducing the lime and chlorine content, the drinking water filter should achieve a better taste for hot beverages. Coffee and tea should develop their full aroma and the streaks on the tea should disappear. To demonstrate this effect, company founder Heinz Hankammer showed the "tea test". To do this, he compared teas that were boiled with filtered and unfiltered water and had cooled for a while. Tea that is boiled with filtered water does not form streaks.

Filtration reduces the carbonate hardness in drinking water and thereby protects technical devices that are operated with drinking water, such as hot water heaters, tea and coffee machines, egg boilers or steam irons, from limescale deposits.

Commercial products

Brita has two main focuses in the B2B business. On the one hand, there are water filters for hotels , restaurants , catering and vending . On the other hand, there are piped water dispensers that are used, among other things, in companies, in educational institutions and in hospitals and nursing homes.

Water filters for the HoReCa industry

Catering establishments and operators of self-service machines use the filter cartridges, for example, between the water pipe and their devices, for example coffee, espresso, dishwasher, combi steamers. The individual areas of application (coffee preparation, vending, boiling and cooking, baking, rinsing) require differently treated water. In order to meet the needs of customers, suitable water filters are offered for the different segments.

When preparing food and beverages, it is important to prevent unwanted reactions between the substances in the water and beverages or food and to optimize the water so that the food's own flavors can fully develop during further processing, for example, chlorine or chlorine flavors are filtered out. When it comes to washing up, it's more about the perfect look. Streaks and stains can be avoided and glasses, dishes and cutlery shine. The different areas of application are also important: glasses and cutlery may need a different water composition than white dishes when washing. The protection of the high-quality machines is important for all applications - this is achieved through the optimal mineral composition after setting the upstream filter. The reduction of limescale and other deposits on sensitive device parts promotes energy efficiency and leads to fewer machine failures and repair costs.

In-line water dispensers

A water dispenser is generally understood to mean a soft drinks machine that dispenses drinking water . Brita water dispensers are piped water dispensers, i.e. connected to the water supply of the drinking water supply network (in contrast to e.g. non-piped water dispensers like gallons).

The incoming water is first freed of unpleasant smells and flavors through an activated carbon filter and then cooled in the device or provided with carbonic acid. In the case of versions with a hot water function, water is additionally heated in a boiler and is therefore available, for example, for the preparation of tea. The water is then dispensed by actuating the control panel on the device or the tap. Water dispensers are suitable for use in different environments. These include above all: companies (e.g. drinks supply for employees for offices, production halls and tea kitchens as well as the hospitality of conference rooms), hotels, catering and gastronomy (e.g. supply of guests with bottled water), facilities the healthcare system (e.g. clinics and nursing homes for the care of patients and employees) and educational institutions (e.g. kindergartens, schools and universities).

criticism

Criticism of the company

On April 13, 2012, the company was awarded the Big Brother Award in the “Economy” category for the commercialization of the drinking water supply for students with the simultaneous creation of usage profiles . thoughtful. The company had introduced what was known as the Schoolwater Project in some public schools. Here, pupils in the respective schools could only tap tap water with special RFID bottles after a monthly fee had been paid for its use. In a statement, the company described the 'award' as "incomprehensible, as no personal data was collected".

Criticism of the technology of the drinking water filter

The cartridge removes many nutritionally important calcium and magnesium ions from the water . Food manufacturers who want to appeal to a health-conscious clientele advertise a high content of these minerals in their products. On the other hand, the WHO found that most of the calcium and magnesium is absorbed through solid food.

Furthermore, the cartridges tend to become contaminated even when used properly. The manufacturer tries to reduce this contamination; To do this, he uses a silver compound in the manufacture of the ion exchanger contained in the cartridges . A contamination of the tap water with silver can therefore not be ruled out, even if the WHO states in its "Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality" that the maximum expected silver absorption through water and food cannot lead to critical values. According to the Drinking Water Ordinance, silver may not be used for disinfection in German waterworks . Since the treated water is no longer subject to the Drinking Water Ordinance , but only to the Food, Consumer Goods and Feed Code , other legal bases apply here. According to a publication by the Federal Environment Agency, Brita processes 140 kg of silver per year, “Depending on the type of cartridge, between 26 and 43 kg of this is washed out annually, and silver in concentrations of 0.019 to 0.05 mg / l enters the filtered water. The rest remains in the cartridges and will be recycled in the company's own facility after Brita has taken it back.

The manufacturer also promises a reduction in the lead content in tap water. However, this is only important where lead pipes are still laid, which is now the exception, at least in Germany.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b See the annual financial statements for the financial year from 01/01/2018 to 12/31/2018 on bundesanzeiger.de, accessed on April 15, 2020.
  2. ↑ The Brita-Story , intes-akademie.de, July 4, 2018, accessed on April 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Brita Geschichte company information , accessed June 15, 2018.
  4. ↑ DEVICE FOR WATER PURIFICATION (DE7017889 (U) - 1970-08-06) EP register database patent office.
  5. ↑ BRITA history, chronicle of our company | BRITA®. Retrieved June 21, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Company anniversary: ​​50 years of table water filters | BRITA®. Retrieved June 21, 2018 .
  7. ↑ a b c d BRITA GmbH: Press kit. In: BRITA website. BRITA, May 2018, accessed June 21, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Brita 30 years in Switzerland , VendingSpiegel, accessed on June 15, 2018.
  9. ↑ The filter manufacturer founds its tenth subsidiary in Poland . In: Der Tagesspiegel Online . July 31, 1999, ISSN  1865-2263 ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed June 21, 2018]).
  10. ↑ Heinz Hankammer, the inventor of the Brita water filter, has died , Handelsblatt, accessed on June 15, 2018
  11. ↑ Brita Group: Sales in 2017 increased by 5.3% . In: https://www.food-service.de/ . ( food-service.de [accessed on June 21, 2018]).
  12. ↑ Brita participates in Vivreau . ( finance-magazin.de [accessed on June 21, 2018]).
  13. ^ The story of Brita. Retrieved June 21, 2018 .
  14. ↑ BRITA continues to expand internationally: future markets of Russia, China and Taiwan now with their own subsidiaries . In: presseportal.de . ( presseportal.de [accessed on June 21, 2018]).
  15. ↑ a b BRITA GmbH: Brochure Water Basics . 2017, accessed on November 28, 2018 .
  16. ↑ a b “Everything for the guest” under power: Brita blind sellers look deep into the cup | Electronic journal . In: Elektrojournal . ( elektrojournal.at [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  17. ↑ Brita's new generation of water dispensers . August 28, 2017 ( cebra.biz [accessed November 28, 2018]).
  18. ↑ Professional water dispenser for the office | BRITA®. Retrieved November 28, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Category Economy .
  20. ↑ BigBrotherAwards 2012 - look online , Heise.de (August 25, 2012), accessed on August 26, 2012.
  21. ↑ Press release 28 .
  22. ↑ Brita in the pillory: Subsidiary receives Big Brother Award for project "Schoolwater" ( Memento from April 17th, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  23. ↑ Ökotest, special issue 21: Eating, drinking 1997 (S9621) from November 11, 1996: Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oekotest.de
  24. ↑ Assessment of the overall environmental exposure of silver ions from biocidal products , study by the Federal Environment Agency from 2008, research report 360 04 020 UBA-FB 001212

Web links

Coordinates: 50 ° 9 ′ 59.5 ″  N , 8 ° 12 ′ 49.7 ″  E